More Shenanigans Than Shamrocks

By
Fritz Hahn

The scene at Rumors, with the lights turned down to frathouse-basement level. (Fritz Hahn/washingtonpost.com)

9 p.m.: "Shamrocks and Shenanigans" is possibly the least "Irish" event I'll hit tonight, with $3.25 Miller Lites and Coors Lights as the drinks of choice, and Beyonce and Nelly blasting from the speakers instead of the Wolf Tones or the Chieftains, but Rumors is packed with a diverse crowd of young people looking to get their St. Patrick's Day swerve on.

At one point, the music stops and it's announced there's going to be an "Irish Jig" contest, in which patrons will do their best Irish dance moves while a kilted bagpiper plays a lilting reel for 15-seconds. Let's just say that most of the dancing was pretty creative and like no Irish dancing I've ever seen before.

On the patio, I run into losing finalist Tim Stewart of D.C., who feels he lost because he tried to add some funky local flavor. "I tried to mix it up and put a little D.C. and Maryland into it, you know, I tried to beat my feet for the people of D.C. and add that to the traditional Irish [steps]." Stewart says his mother was born in Ireland, "right outside Sligo," and he called her for advice before the contest began.

Unfortunately for him, the co-winners of the contest -- selected by crowd applause -- seemed to have some actual experience with Irish dance.